In a preliminary ruling, The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it expects to reject BlackRock Inc.’s (BLK) proposal to put out a nontransparent exchange-traded fund. BlackRock sought permission to sell the ETF from the regulator in 2011. The fund wants to keep its investments secret, which go against SEC…
Investor Lawyers Blog
During Fiscal Year 2014, SEC Files Record Number of Enforcement Actions
According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the agency filed a record number of enforcement actions in 2014. Concluding the fiscal year on September 30, the regulator announced that it filed 755 SEC enforcement actions and obtained orders of $4.16 billion in disgorgement and penalties. Last year, the agency…
SEC, Federal Reserve, HUD Approve Laxer Mortgage-Lending Rule
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have jointly approved a new rule for mortgage-backed securities and collateralized loan obligations. The regulation…
Wells Fargo to Pay $5M Over Inadequate Controls, Altered Documents
Wells Fargo Advisers LLC has consented to pay $5M to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges accusing the firm of not keeping up adequate controls so that one of its employees would be unable to use a customer’s nonpublic information to engage in insider trading. Wells Fargo also was…
UBS Brokers Are Still Selling Puerto Rico Muni Bonds
Even after the slew of municipal bond fraud arbitration claims from investors blaming UBS AG (UBS) for their losses sustained in Puerto Rico municipal bonds, the brokerage firm has told its brokers to continue selling the funds to clients. However, notes the broker-dealer, representatives should make sure to evaluate their…
SEC Approves Regulations Involving REIT Prices and Arbitration Fraud Intervention
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has approved a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority-proposed rule that would create greater transparency of Nontraded real estate investment trusts. Under the new rule, investors will have to be provided with more information about the costs involved in buying shares of nontraded REITs. With the…
SEC Wants to Bar Ex-Broker for Allegedly Misappropriating $2M
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken action to bar Paul Marshall, an ex-investment adviser and broker from the industry. Marshall is accused of misappropriating $2M in client assets. Last year, the SEC charged him and his related investment advisers, Bridge Securities and Bridge Equity Inc., with fraud. The…
Pension Fund Securities Lawsuits: JPMorgan to Face MBS Case, PERSM Files Class Action Case, & Institutional Clients Can Sue BP
JPMorgan Ordered to Face $10B Mortgage-Backed Securities Case A federal judge said that JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) must face a class action securities fraud lawsuit filed by investors accusing the bank of misleading them about the risks involved in $10B of mortgage-backed securities that they purchased from the firm…
Ex-Ameriprise Adviser Pleads Guilty To Nearly $1M Fraud
SusanWalker, an ex investment adviser with Ameriprise Financial Inc. (AMP), has pleaded guilty to bilking two dozen clients of $980,000. She stole the funds from clients between ’08 and ’13, using the money to cover her own spending, including costly vacations. Walker is accused of setting up investment accounts under…
DOJ Charges Another Two Ex-Rabobank Traders Over Libor Manipulation
The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted another two ex-Rabobank (RABO) traders over their alleged involvement in a London interbank offered rate manipulation scam. The charges widen the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe into the Dutch bank to include U.S. dollar Libor, as well as yen libor. Anthony Allen and…